WHo knows about this canoe? I am still looking for my perfect tandom all purpose canoe is this it?? There are no reveiws on this boat because it is new this year.Please let me know what you think if you have used one!!I want a white water tripper that does good on the flat(i know,who dosent)I have been looking hard at madriver freedom this seems like the boat for me but now i have seen the yellowstone and it looks good!
check out canoe and kayak
one of the more recent issues of canoe and kayak did a review of the yellowstone along with other canoes in the same category.
Check within the last 3 issues.
Yellowstone is a river boat in my book
Based on the popular Wildfire it’s a perfect canoe for two small paddlers for up to class I/II moving water. With lots of rocker for turning It would not be a good flatwater canoe but could be used for that if your not in a hurry. You should know how much weight you plan on putting in it. I would call it a day tripper, two people around 200 lbs each puts it near it’s practical limit. Also test paddle if you can, the round bottom will not demonstrate good initial stability, but secondary is very good.
Check C&K’s Canoe Journal
There is a short review in Canoe and Kayak’s special “Canoe Journal” Here they compare a Novacraft Prospector 17, Clipper Prospector 17, Esquif Prospeteur, and a Bluewater Freedom 17’ to the Bell Yellowstone.
PK
Name Game
Unfortunately, the Yellowstone (tandem) and the Yellowstone Solo are about as similar as the MRC Freedom and the Freedom Solo are. There is a passing resemblance between the two Yellowstones, somthing that can’t be said for the Freedoms. The canoe companies trying to come up with these “families of canoes” is stupid in my opinion. Why not just give the boat it’s own name like they had? This musical names thing that MRC did intitially, and now Bell is following suit with just confuses the buyer as opposed to clearing things up.
PK
Alaskan?
The August “Canoe & Kayak” compares the boats PK mentions to the Bell Alaskan I believe, which at 17’ is a true river tripper.
Bell’s Yellowstone Tandem is 15.5’ and like N.T. says is more of a small tandem for smaller paddlers and day trips. I haven’t paddled it but did give it a good looking over this spring at a dealer. It looks like it’d make a good small tandem/ big solo for moving water. I bet it would be a little slow on flat water but lots of fun to manuver around in. Also, I think N.T. is right about the initial stability. It is an inch or two narrower in max beam than Bell’s Morningstar.
So if you are looking for something in the same league as the MR Explorer I think the 17’ Alaskan would be Bell’s boat to compare it with.
Happy hunting!
agreed
i’m not real big on “family line” boats like the fire boats and the newer lines at bell. just give it a name, even if it’s the david yost 17 foot cruiser. i haven’t paddled the boat, but if it can’t handle class III with the rocker and other river features, i don’t know that it will have a market. just MHO.
Yes the Alaskan appears to be Bell’s
very serious attempt to make a good all around safe family tripper that can haul the bacon. Have not paddled one yet but it looks great and should be a preformer for most duty. Bell says Cliff Jacobson had some input on the design…To me that transfers to a good safe load hauling tripper with lots of wilderness river capabilities thrown in too.
bell/mrc
Thanks for all the info.after reading the posts i am back to the freedom.it is longer wider carrys more for the 3-7 day trips and i think it is a tougher boat.The bell looks like it would handle a little beter in the tight spots and this is the part i am not sure about is that it would do better in the flat because of its narrow beam.I have paddled the freedom alot and i have no problem with the speed.Oh all these things to consider!!!